1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to syringe disposal systems, and more particularly to syringe disposal receptacles conformed for encapsulation prior to discarding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In our prior U.S. Pat. No. Des. 264,879 we have disclosed a wall mounted syringe receptacle for use in hospitals and other facilities. Since that time we have discovered improvements in the structure of such receptacles, improvements which render such particularly suitable for encapsulation subsequent to use.
In any medical facility the disposal of contaminated syringes and other medical devices is a problem of profound concern. The interests of protecting the general populace from the spread of certain virulent disease strains has led to the practice in most medical facilities where any utensils exposed thereto are to be discarded after use. One utensil of prevalent use is the syringe by which various medications are introduced into the body of a patient. Syringes, however, in today's culture, also have secondary functions for those bent on introducing illicit drugs into their person. Thus, there are two concerns in any disposal procedure, i.e., the clinical concern for limiting unwanted contamination and spread of disease and the concern over unauthorized use of medical devices.
One should note that today's disease patterns occasionally encounter virulent strains which sometimes are not adequately resolved by conventional sterilization. Thus, the process of sterilization is often made in tandem with procedures by which the contaminated utensil is destroyed and encapsulated to preclude its subsequent reuse. It is these exact features that are addressed by the present invention in a disposal procedure which both encapsulates the discarded device and is also convenient in use.